The CD-Text capability is limited, to say the least. Not very many CDs come with CD-Text and the Prius won't let you access the information while the car is moving. I think it is a shame that with all of the technology that was put into the Prius that they short-changed us on the audio system. I have a '04 Silver #9 and I am very underwhelmed with the quality of the 9 speaker JBL system.

I love my MP3s, so I was using an iRiver portable and a FM transmitter, but fumbling with the wires and where to put everything just kinda sucks. I recently jumped in with both feet and installed the Rockford Fosgate DMP1 harddrive-based MP3 player. All is well now...

I placed the head unit over the pocket that is behind the smoked panel under the original stereo.


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Open image:


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The HDD unit is mounted in the back over the driver-side storage compartment.


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Yes, that's a wireless NIC on top of the housing. The unit wirelessly syncs with your home computer to get music and software updates.

Wiring and mounting was a breeze. Apparently the Prius is a snap-together car. I did not remove or even loosen a single nut, bolt, or screw to complete the installation. Everything was a tap to an existing power line or a snap of moulding. Anyway, everything went smoothly and I now have about 5000 songs to choose from in my Prius.

 

Very nice! Tell us how it works out for you. You're right in that the Prius is a very snap-together car. During my installation of PriusXM I saw this first-hand. I used a screwdriver 4 times and yet was able to take apart the entire dash and the wire moulding at the floor all the way to the hatchback.

 

The DMP1 is working great! No issues at all. I was a bit concerned about battery drain with it's auto-sync function that basically turns itself on at 2am each morning to sync, but there have been no ill effects so far. As a battery saving feature, the unit will only try for 3 nights and will then stop if you haven't turned the unit on. I'm using an FM modulator to input the audio into the stock system right now. I'm waiting for the ViewTech device from CoastalETech.com that will allow direct integration with the Toyota A/V bus. They're in pre-order now.

Side-note:
When I was under the dash installing the wiring block for the DMP1 I needed a switched power line, so I tapped into the 12v accessory port on the passenger side. While I was there I modded the port to be always-on. This mod did require cutting 1 wire, but it would be very easy to reverse if you wanted to go back stock.

I'm new to the forum, is there a Prius Hack/Mod Group here?

 

There's no forum specifically for hacking the Prius. I always add forums as they're needed, and so far there hasn't been a large demand for it. Not to worry, though. The forums are growing extremely fast and sooner or later I'm going to be expanding the categories.

 

On a similar topic, is it true you can't replace the stock radio? The salesman told me it voids the warranty. If so, can I at least replace the speakers without fear of voiding anything, the stuff that's in there is okay, but some Polk Audio component speakers would be much better.

Even with programming your CD's to display CD text, you can't view the song title more than a few seconds at a time. It's a nice feature to have, but not enough CD's utilize it enough.